Father of children found dead in mother's car describes them as 'brightest lights'

The father of two children whose bodies were found in holdalls in the boot of
their mother's car has described them as the ''brightest lights'' in his
life.

Elise, 2, and Harry, 3, Donnison, who were found dead in a car in Heathfield on Wednesday Photo: PA

8:02PM GMT 29 Jan 2010

Elise, two, and her brother Harry Donnison, 3, were found dead on Wednesday. Initial post-mortem examination results revealed the pair were asphyxiated.

Their mother Fiona Donnison, 43, was arrested on suspicion of their murder and is in a stable condition at Eastbourne District General Hospital, where she is being treated for self-inflicted wounds to her arms and wrists.

Her estranged husband Paul spoke of the nightmare of the past two days as he paid tribute to his ''precious'' children.

In a statement issued by Sussex Police, he said: ''Harry and Elise were the lights that shone the brightest in my life and I am unable to begin to comprehend why this has happened to them.

''I love them with all my heart and they in turn gave me the unconditional love that only a child can give a parent.

''Every day that I saw them was precious and wonderful but I had no idea just how precious. They were only babies and I was looking forward to watching them grow up and, with their mum, help them to live their lives.''

Mrs Donnison, a former City worker, was arrested after she went to Heathfield police station in East Sussex in a distressed state just before noon on Wednesday.

When police forced entry to her silver Nissan car, which was parked near the former family home in Heathfield, they found the children's bodies in two large holdalls.

Post-mortems carried out at King's College Hospital in London confirmed the youngsters had been dead for less than 24 hours when their bodies were discovered.